


Cottage core lesbian house (but magic and gay) - secret santa

by QuillWinters



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Fairy Han Jisung | Han, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Nightmares, Not Beta Read, Polyamory, Secret Santa, Sleepy Cuddles, Urban Fantasy, Vampire Seo Changbin, Witch Kim Seungmin, the other members are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:36:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28311009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuillWinters/pseuds/QuillWinters
Summary: Seungmin’s house is lonely, the witch having lived alone for a long time. Both Jisung and Changbin need a home, so Seungmin takes them in and takes care of them.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 57
Collections: Chan's Kitchen Secret Santa 2020





	Cottage core lesbian house (but magic and gay) - secret santa

**Author's Note:**

  * For [standsinthetrees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/standsinthetrees/gifts).



> Merry Christmas Kanika!!! I hope you enjoy !!
> 
> This fic was not supposed to be this long. I was just writing and then suddenly it was 18k, idk what happened. There’s a couple intense scenes but not really, this is pretty soft for most of the fic.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees as Seungmin walked carefully beneath them. It was the middle of the afternoon, the warm sunlight not yet lowering, and the morning dew dried up. Seungmin always considered it the perfect time to look for ingredients. 

Every step was planned, avoiding the leaves and flowers growing in the forest floor. Some had been planted by Seungmin specifically for his recipes, while others naturally grew. Not all of them had magical purposes, but Seungmin never liked killing anything living unless he had no choice. By watching his step as he traveled in the forest, he could continue to grow things without risking crushing their delicate stems beneath his feet. 

He sidestepped to avoid a clump of mint leaves, and he dug his bare toes into the soft Earth. Through his bare feet, he could feel the comforting waves of the magic in the forest that covered him like a warm hug. He could feel small joy from somewhere around the edges, a semi powerful confusion and fear that had been wandering around for about a week, a small drop of sorrow from somewhere else. 

However, it was a small ripple that caught his attention, and pulled his attention away from the ground. The magic of the woods had been disturbed, by something larger than a lost hiker. It was malicious and pained. Seungmin shivered with fear of the unknown energy. The pull of the disturbance caused Seungmin to veer left from the path he had been taking. He could get the flower petals later, a sense of urgency descended over his bones. The malice was leaving, but the ripples of pain did not. The forest itself could feel the sorrow radiating off of the source, the birds quieting and the trees growing closer to block the light. Smaller plants wilted slightly, and broken branches became more prominent with each careful step Seungmin took. 

The warm summer sun usually helped calm him down, but something deep within him told him that he had to hurry. He was never one to doubt his instincts, so continued to walk faster, still trying to avoid stepping on any of the precious plants on the forest floor. 

Then he heard it. The soft whimpers, like an injured animal. Seungmin crushed a small clump of grass under his left foot in his haste to reach the crying thing. A few steps later he could see the vague outline of someone in the brush, someone clearly crying in agony. Seungmin rushed the last few meters to meet the crying figure, and looked over the body. They were curled up on the forest floor, hugging their knees to their chest. Seungmin noticed bruises forming along their arms and legs, and felt his chest tighten at the painful image. A part of him wanted to wrap the stranger in a hug and comfort them, but the logical side of Seungmin began to kick in. 

Based on their frame and what Seungmin could see of the injuries, there were likely no wounds to the spinal cord so it should be safe to move them. He couldn’t tell if they were conscious, or fully aware of the world around them, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to carry the figure on his own.

“Hello? Are you alright?” The words fell out of Seungmin’s mouth quietly, hoping he didn’t startle them. He lowered himself quietly to the ground, his eyes never leaving the crying form.

The sobs quieted, but otherwise they showed no sign of hearing Seungmin, so he tried again.

“Hey, can you move?”

The muscles of their arms tightened, and Seungmin noticed they had well defined arms. Slightly skinnier than what Seungmin night deem healthy, but not frail by any means. However, he was distracted from the arms by a tentative eye peeking out from their arms, teary and red from crying. With a sour taste in his mouth, Suenmgin noted that the eyes were also puffy and forming bruises from repeated blows. Despite not knowing the story of the person before him, he felt an unfamiliar wave of protectiveness wash over him. 

“Hi there. My name is Seungmin, and I promise I am not going to hurt you. Can you move?”

The eye disappeared as the person hid in the crook of their own arm again, pulling themselves even tighter into a ball. Seungmin was not dissuaded and stayed kneeling next to the small figure.

“Please? I just want to help.”

The same eye peeked out again, a few stray tears still caught on their lashes. 

And then, a small nod, so quick Seungmin though he might have imagined it. 

“Thank you. Can you tell me what hurts?”

A shake of the head.

“Your name?”

Another shake.

“I can’t leave you here, is it okay if I bring you to my home? It isn’t very far, and I promise that is perfectly safe for you,” Seungmin pushed. He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the strange person alone in the forest, in pain and afraid. A heavy pause fell, but Seungmin refused to be the one to break it. They needed time to think, and Seungmin wouldn’t rush them. 

And then, a small nod accompanied by the person releasing their legs and unfurling. Seungmin noticed more bruises across the ribs and stomach, but didn’t comment. The first priority was getting them home. Seungmin held his hand out, allowing them to be the one to take hold.The hands were smooth and soft like a child’s, slightly colder than Seungmin’s. He gripped tightly, hoping to keep a hold on the kid who was clearly unable to get up. They struggled to stand, face twisting in pain every time they moved. The protectiveness flared again, and Seungmin had the desire to painfully kill whatever made those marks. Eventually, they sat down and hugged their knees again, silent tears slipping down their face. Every little movement seemed to cause extreme pain, so there was no way they were walking back themselves. 

“Hey, it’s okay” Seungmin tried to comfort them, but they just buried their head again. Seungmin paused for a moment. 

“Since I don’t know your name, can I give you a nickname?” Seungmin asked, surprising himself. Anything to keep their focus off the injuries causing them pain. 

A tentative nod. 

Seungmin appraised the small form, with puffy cheeks and sweet eyes and a youthful look in their face. 

“Can I call you… Squirrel Boy?”

Squirrel boy nodded, and a small smile tugged up the corner of his mouth. 

“Alright Squirrel Boy, we need to get home. You can’t walk, right?”

The boy stared at the ground miserably and shook his head, another bout of tears threatening to spill. Seungin’s chest tightened as he was filled with the need to hold the boy and protect him from everything evil in the world. 

“It’s alright, I can carry you,” Seungmin said comfortingly. 

Squirrel boy looked up, clearly surprised by the offer. 

“I’m stronger than I look,” Seungmin exaggerated his pout. 

Another smile graced the face of the Squirrel Boy at Seungmin antics, and then he nodded. As Seungmin approached, he noticed how he tensed up and shrank into himself, as if fearing a blow from the older. Seungmin immediately halted his movements, and moved slowly, so as to not spook the boy. 

“You okay?”

A nod, albeit hesitant.

“Okay, I’m gonna pick you up now,” Seungmin narrated, hoping to prevent doing anything unpredictable.

Seungmin wrapped one arm under his chest and another under his bloodied knees, holding him close. As Seungmin stood, he was surprised at how lightweight the boy was. Even as skinny as he appeared, he couldn’t weigh much more than a few pounds, far less than anyone should be able to weigh. Was he even human, or some creature that now curled up almost weightless in his arms. He hesitated when Seungmin picked him up, but didn’t seem scared, just nervous. After a moment of hesitation, he wrapped his bruised arms around Seungmin’s shoulders to help hold himself. Which really wasn’t necessary as the boy seemed like he was hollow. 

“It’s okay Squirrely, I got you and I won’t let you fall”

Squirrel Boy nodded again, but kept his hands around Seungmin. 

Seungmin took a few steps, trying not to jostle the boy as he carried his princess style across the forest and away from the bush he had been lying under. Another step turned into several as they made slow progress towards Seungmin’s home. As much as Seungin just wanted to get home to care for the boy, he knew he had to do this logically. Running or walking faster might scare Squirrel, or aggravate his injuries further. His mind wandered to what could have hurt Squirrel like this, leaving him defenseless on the ground. Was he attacked by a monster, or an animal, robbers, or even betrayed by a friend? Did he have family waiting for him somewhere, or was he alone in the world. 

_ He isn’t alone anymore. _

Seungmin’s protectiveness squeezed his arms tighter around Squirrel, holding him perhaps too tight. Squirrel did not complain, so they stayed like that for the last half of the walk home. The house seemed so much further carrying the feather-light boy, a sense of urgency seeming to drag out the usually brief journey. He spotted the house through the trees, and hastened his steps a small amount, just enough to catch the attention of Squirrel who looked hesitant at the sight of the small cottage. 

The cottage was small, with one living area, two bedrooms, and a small bathroom. It has herbs and flowers in every room, and was falling apart in some places. But, it kept him dry and was warm enough in the winters. It was home. Minho, one of Seungmin close friends, labeled it his ‘cottage core lesbian cottage’ to annoy Seungmin, but Seungmin enjoyed the name too much to be bothered by his friend’s attempt. 

The front door did not have a lock, so Seungmin was able to push it open with his foot and not bother Squirrel, who was looking around in fear and, perhaps, curiosity. But maybe that was just Seungmin’s wishful thinking. He stepped over the threshold of his home, and enjoyed the pleasant temperature that the house always held. It was one of Seungmin’s favorite enchantments, one that always had the house at the perfect temperature, never too hot or too cold. The wooden floors creaked slightly under Seungmin’s feet, the familiar sounds calming his mind. 

But then Squirrel whined slightly in his arms, and Seungmin was pulled back into the moment, back to the bruised and battered boy he held close to his chest. With a few strides, Seungmin crossed the room and placed Squirrel on the old beaten couch that Minho had gotten for him from a random garage sale. It was old and cracked in places, but remarkably comfortable. Squirrel settled into the cushions with a barely audible sigh, closing his eyes for a few seconds before opening and following Seungmin’s every action. 

Seungmin moved slowly, still wary of spooking the boy. He could feel Squirrel’s eyes on him as he left the couch to go to the kitchen area. The kitchen was slightly messy, every spare space covered in pots of herbs, flowers, and boxes of jars waiting to be filled. He grabbed one such jar, and set it in his workspace. However, a rattled breath distracted him from his task. A quick look told him that the boy was coughing slightly, a dry cough that concerned Seungmin. \

Abandoning the still empty jar, he grabbed on of the few clean glasses he had and filled it with water. Every morning he had to walk and fill the bucket from the nearby river, but the bucket was enchanted to ensure the cleanliness of the water. Who needs the technology humans made when magic does the same, if not a better job? Seungmin will never understand why humans live the way they do, destroying everything around them to make space for their useless ideas and cities. What truly confuses him is how Minho could stand to live in a large city and interact with humans almost every day. 

Seungmin filled the glass and crossed the room to hand it to him. When he reached Squirrel’s field of view, the boy looked warily at Seungmin as if expecting the water to be poisoned. 

“It's clean, I promise. I get it from the river.”

The boy slowly extended his hand to grab the cup from Seungmin’s grasp. A brush of their fingers told him that the young boy was still freezing cold. Squirrel took a careful sip, seemingly tasting the water at first. He seemed satisfied, and began drinking it in terrifyingly large gulps 

“Woah, slow down, Squirrel Boy,” Seungmin said softly, gantly settling his hand on the boy’s, “we don’t want you to choke.”

The boy nodded and returned to his drink, with much more reasonable sips of the liquid. Seungmin watched for a moment before crossing the room to return to his spell. The jar sat empty, awaiting its purpose. With a quick muttering of words, Seungmin blessed the jar in preparation for the pure spell he planned to put inside it. It was a spell he had done a few times before when Hyunjin would manage to hurt himself in his travels. Many times he had shown up at Seungmin’s door with an arrow in his flank or one of his legs broken. The centaur had a knack for getting injured as he wandered, so Seungmin had long perfected his particular healing spell. 

He moved to his smallest caudron and spelled a small flame beneath it, before starting a few cups of water as the base. He added sugar, chamomile, strawberry buds, mint leaves, a tuft of fur from a racoon, half a molted snakeskin, and a little bit of his cure-all powder than never seemed to run out. He whispered another phrase once it boiled, and then removed the flame from underneath. 

The concoction needed to cool off, so Seungmin took the opportunity to check on the Squirrel Boy, who had not moved from the position he had landed in when Seungmin first placed him. His breathing was more regulated, and the glass was empty. The boy had closed his eyes, but was not asleep. 

“You doing okay?” Seungmin said in a voice just above a whisper. It still managed to startle the poor kid, who opened his eyes with a gaso to meet Seungmin’s gaze. 

“Y-yes. Th-thank you” The first words out of his mouth, and Seungmin felt the pull to wrap the boy in a hug and wanted to hold him again. He refrained (barely) to not scare the boy. He was unable to suppress a bright grin, however, as he looked at Squirrel who had finally spoken.

“Alright. If you need anything, I’m right over there. I will heal your wounds in just a minute”

With an affirmative nod from the boy, Seungmin returned his attention to the still heated pot. A quick word out of his mouth, and the potion was at the perfect temperature. He transferred the liquid to the jar and filled it almost to the brim. The potion was semi-translucent with a comforting aura around it that helped convince people to take the potion. It smelled strongly herbal, but honestly Seungmin’s entire house smelled herbal. He had plants in every windowsill and splash of light, with vines growing down the walls and a lemon tree he could harvest right from his bedroom window. Even if Seungmin tried to keep it neat, it was always slightly messy, a controlled chaos as Hyunjin and Minho had described it. 

Seungmin grabbed another jar from off a shelf, one holding his special herbal cream. He always kept some of it on hand for the small scratches, burns, and surface injuries that came from spending his days in a forest. It would help with the surface injuries scattered on Squirrel’s skin and decrease the time it would take to heal, and would also give Seungmin an excuse to be close to the boy and to take care of him. 

He grabbed the slightly warm jar that carried the potion and the larger jar with the healing rub before returning to the old couch. The boy was still watching him with wary eyes, but no longer flinched every time Seungmin moved, so he called that improvement. After setting both jar down, he met the eyes of the boy. 

“Alright Squirrel Boy, I’m gonna check if you have a fever and then give you something to drink. It’s safe and it will help you, I promise,” Seungmin made sure the boy understood, before carefully moving his hand towards the other’s forehead. The boy flinched upon the contact but didn’t push him away, still staring at Seungmins face. An unwanted blush danced across Seungmin’s cheeks, and he tried to will it away. 

“I don’t think you have a fever,” He pulled his hand away from the boy’s face. . 

He grabbed the healing potion and held it close to the boy, silently offering him to take it. The boy did, but glanced between Seungmin and the drink as if afraid of its effects. 

“It will help you heal faster, I have made it many time before and I can guarantee it will not hurt you”

Squirrel nodded and took a small sip. His lips poured adorably at the semi bitter taste, but continued to drink. Seungmin tried not to stare at the pouty lips, and the cheeks that were slowly filling with color. The boy breathed easier and readjusted his position without simpering in pain. Although the effects would take a full day to completely heal, some effects of it were felt immediately. 

By the time the jar was held empty, Seungmin decided it was ‘good enough’ and held his hand to the boy, stopping him from drinking. 

“You can keep drinking in a moment, but I have another thing I can do to help, if you like,” As much as Seungmin wanted to help him, he didn’t want to make the boy uncomfortable. 

The boy nodded, eyes glimmering in curiosity instead of fear. Seungmin found it beautiful.

“I have a- a cream of sorts. It’s a topical medicine, I’ll put it on your skin and it will heal. Would you like me to use it or wait for them to heal from the potion you are drinking?” Seungmin stuttered a bit, but tried to focus on the boy as a patient, growing feelings be damned. 

The fear returned to the boy’s eyes, but he nodded. 

“Are you sure? I don’t have to if you don’t want to”

The boy paused for a moment, and seemed to analyze Seungmin’s face. A tense moment passed, before the boy nodded again.

“I-its okay. Th- thank you”

Seungmin nodded, smiling internally at the small stutter of the young boy. 

“Okay, can you sit up for me?” Seungmin asked gently. He remembered how battered the boy’s back was, and knew he should focus there. 

Squirrel sat up with an ease that surprised both of them. 

“Fast healer, eh?” Seungmin chuckled. 

A small smile graced the other’s face, before he turned around to present his back. As Srungmin expected, the potion had reduced some of the swelling already but there were still many little injuries that would benefit from the topical medicine. He pulled a generous glob from the jar and gently touched their back. Squirrel jumped in surprise, but made no move to stop him or pull away, so he continued. A large welt on his shoulder blade pulled his attention at first, and watched in satisfaction as it disappeared beneath his finger tip. He purposefully ignored the blissful sigh the squirrel boy let out. 

Too many bruises, cuts from thorns, road rash covered by dirt, and something that looked like a burn all disappeared beneath Seungmin’s fingertips. A larger wound was too big to be helped, but even that was already closing from the potion that Squirrel was dutifully sipping as Seungmin worked. Once his back was mostly smooth skin, Seungmin pulled away. 

“Turn around, let me get your arms and legs please,”

Squirrel moved in his seat without hissing from pain, and Seungmin felt warmth blossom in his chest. He made the young boy feel better, Seungmin did it. 

But he wasn’t done yet, he still had work to do. His arms were still covered in bruises from when he presumably tried to protect his face. Seungmin ran his hands up and down the well-toned arms and stomped down the impulse to squeeze his muscles. Dammit Seungmin, you still have work to do. He quickly moved to the other arm, and rubbed his hands over the arms before the wounds disappeared from there too. Next, Seungmin would have to get his legs, which were bruised at the shins and knees and covered with bleeding cuts from the sharp plants of the forest floor. If Seungmin had to judge based on the wounds, it appeared Squirrel had been running from something before falling. And, of course, whatever he was running from clearly caught up.

So Seungmin found himself kneeling on the floor in front of the boy, and  _ WAS NOT _ thinking about how he’d like to be in this position again in a different scenario. The shorts, which were the only clothing still clinging to Squirrel's body, were dirty and ragged and barely covered the top of his thighs. He stared at the bruised legs in front if him, trying ( and failing) to keep his mind logical and professional, as this was no time to be thinking gay thoughts. He had a job to do. So he pulled another scoop of the herbal remedy and ran his hands over the battered legs, all the way down to his feet. He was intently focused, determined to ignore any sort of feelings for the boy while he worked. It was mostly effective, and once Seungmin was satisfied with the boy’s legs, he stood up once more. 

“I l-like your voice,” the Squirrel spoke softly. 

Warmth flooded Seungmin’s cheeks when he realized he had been humming under his breath as he worked, an old habit Minho liked to tease him about. 

“Thank you, Squirrel Boy,” Seungmin smiled.

“Jisung”

“Pardon?”

“Jisung. My name is Jisung,” the Squirrel Boy- Jisung - smiled at Seungmin. 

“Hello Jisung,” Seungmin smiled, “ I don’t know if you remember, but my name is Seungmin and I am a witch. I specialize in natural magic, and this is the living room of my cottage. I don't know what happened before or if you somewhere you want to go, but you are welcome to stay here for as long as you like,” 

“Thank you”

Seungmin paused and looked at Jisung, who was fiddling with the now empty jar. He sat down on the cushion next the the boy, and smiling in what he hoped looked reassuring. Jisung stared at him with wide eyes and a surprised look on his face. 

“What caused you to get those injuries?” Seungmin saw panic rise in the other’s eyes, “you don’t have to tell me. I won’t be mad. But if you want to talk about it, I’m here for you for as long as you need.”

Jisung took a deep breath, and Seungmin noticed the tremble that the boy failed to disguise. He didn’t comment, just sat in silence next to the boy. 

“I’m not a human,” Jisung started, and Suengmin nodded. He had figured as much. 

“I’m half faerie, which is cool in theory, but it really sucks, actually. I don’t have wings, so the fairies never even pretended to accept me. I ran away when I was young, way too young to be alone. I ended up in the human world, and made some friends, some human and some not,”

At this, tears welled up in Jisung’s eyes. He stared at his hands, and appeared to be having an internal battle with himself. 

“O-only a few of them knew what I really was. As long as they didn’t try to lift me and I didn’t touch iron, there’s no way to tell I’m not-” A sob cut him off again. 

“Shh, it's okay,” Seungmin reached out to hold one of the boy’s hands, and suddenly his arms were full of Squirrel. 

Jisung sobbed into his shirt, hands grasping desperately at the fabric. Seungmin hestrated for a split second before pulling the small boy even closer, cradling him as he cried. His heart hurt for the young boy.

“I- I don’t know who told!” He cried, “someone tipped off the hunters we were there and they came and tried to-” sobs racked through the small body as he shook violently. 

Hunters. Of course. Humans who despised the magical world, who saw themselves as heroes cleansing the Earth. If they found out about a faerie pretending to be human, they would certainly chase him down. The question wasn’t who hurt him, but why they left him alive. 

“The- the others. Felix, Chan, Innie. I don’t- what if they didn’t make it?” Jisung sobbed harder, as Seungmin tried to rub comforting circles into the poor boy’s back. Logically, it was unlikely the other made it out, but Seungmin wasn’t about to tell Jisung that. 

“I’m sure they’re fine. You made it, didn’t you?”

Jisung lifted his head and looked at Seungmin with watery eyes.

“I still don’t know how. I was running and I ran into the forest and they- they caught up and they-” another broken sob, “Chan had followed them and he saved me and I ran and I left him and now he’s probably-” Jisung’s breathing became worse, desperate, gasping breaths as he trembled. 

“I ran and then I was falling and they ran right next to me and didn’t see me and it’s like the trees attacked them, the forest itself came alive and-” more gasping breaths- I thought I would die right there, but then they were gone and I was alone and you”

Seungmin remembered, vividly, the malicious energy that filled the forest, before Seungmin found the boy. Of course it was hunters. 

“The forest is strong, you know. And good,” Seungmin said, “it told me you needed help, and protected you in your time of need. It understands your pain.”

“You say that like it’s a living person,” Jisung smiled. 

“It is. Well, not a person, but alive. Perhaps more alive then you or I could ever be. We can… communicate, in a way, as I was born with a nature fixation. It’s how I knew to look for you, and why it protected you from the hunters. It saw the good in you and the evil in them. It knows, Jisung, and it will always help the helpless.”

Jisung teared up again and hid his face in the crook of Seungmin’s neck.

“Thank you” came Jisung’s muffled voice, and Seungmin giggled at the sensation. 

“So,” Seungmin gently guided Jisung out once his tears stopped, “as I said, you can stay here for as long as you want. Whether you leave tomorrow or never is completely up to you. You will always be welcome here, if you choose to leave.”

It pained Seungin to say those words. He wanted Jisung to stay in his arms, always close, where he could protect the boy from the world. But he knew he couldn’t just keep Jisung if he didn’t want to stay. But god, he really wanted Jisung to want to stay.

Jisung looked shyly at Seungmin, and smiled. 

“I- I think I’ll stay here for a bit. I feel safe here, with you.”

It took all of Seungmin’s willpower not to kiss Jisung right then.

“I would love that,” he settled on saying, hoping beyond hope that he wasn’t blushing. 

Jisung smiled brighter, his grin making the darkened room world seem brighter. Seungmin spared a glance outside and was shocked to see the sun had set already, shadows having taken over the ground. 

“Here,” Seungmin stood up and gently pulled Jisung along, “let’s get you some clothes and then I can show you the spare bed. It’s a bit dusty, but I’m sure it’s still comfortable.”

“Thank you. Really, thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. I enjoy having you around already,” A giggle fell out of Jisung’s mouth, before he pressed himself to Seungmin’s side. 

“You’re warm,” the boy sighed blissfully. Seungmin wrapped his arm around the boy and continued towards his room. He went through the door and guided Jisung over to his wardrobe. 

“Pick something out. It might be a bit big for you, but you can wear whatever you like,” Seungmin opened the doors to the wardrobe. Admittedly, it wasn’t the craziest or fullest closet (Minho had 5 times as much) but hopefully the Squirrel boy would find something he likes. 

Jisung looked at everything but didn’t reach for anything, or touch any of the fabrics. As each minute ticked onward, Seungmin became more and more concerned at the boy’s actions, or lack thereof. 

“Do you not like it?” Seungmin frowned. 

“No, it’s fine. I just- I don’t know what to take,”

“Would you like me to choose?” 

The boy nodded. 

Turning his attention back to the clothing, Seungmin had the overwhelming desire to wrap the boy in a blanket burrito and keep him safe and close at all times. Perhaps something soft and warm, and loose fitting so it wouldn’t aggravate his wounds. A fluffy sweater caught his attention, a medium blue color and very cozy. Seungmin always wore it during fall, but he would be willing to give it to Jisung to enjoy the later summer days in. He grabbed a basic pair of trousers and boxers to avoid overthinking the outfit, before turning to the boy behind him. 

“Here. If you don’t like it, I can get you something else”

Jisung shook his head and carefully grabbed the pile of fabric from Suengmin’s arms. 

“Lemme show you your room so you can change, and get set up,” without any delay, Seungmin turned to the hallway and led the Squirrel boy across the hall to the spare room. 

The spare room was mostly left unused, except when one of Seungmin’s friends needed to spend the night, usually Minho who stayed too late or Hyunjin who needed rest after an injury. Of course, Hyunjin always struggled to fit on the small bed and more often than not ended up sleeping on the rug in the main room. He always kept the room clean and sheets fresh just in case, so Seungmin wasn’t worried about the boy sleeping there. Even if a part of him was screaming at him to wrap the boy in his own arms and keep him in his own bed, he knew it would never happen. The spare room would have to be close enough for now. 

Stepping away to give the boy privacy to change, Seungmin wandered back to the kitchen. He figured the boy was hungry, and knew that fairies never ate animals, only plants. As Seungmin was a vegetarian himself, this wouldn’t be an issue. He was too tired to cook something, but had some fruits he cut up for some food. Fairies didn’t eat much anyways, and Seungmin wasn’t hungry. A glance outside told him night had fallen, it was far to dark to see outside his little cottage. 

A throat cleared behind him, and Seungmin turned to see the Squirrel boy standing still, looking absolutely tiny in the oversized clothes given to him. The sweater covered over half his thigh, and he had rolled up the cuffs of the pants to keep them from dragging on the slightly dirty floors. He shouldn’t find it as precious as he does, but it was far too late for Seungmin to fight his feelings anymore. However, the first priority is, and will always be, Jisung’s health. 

“Hey, uh, I didn’t know how hungry you were so I cut up an apple, if you want it,” he trailed off, watching as Jisung nodded his head. 

“Yeah, food. That sounds… good,” god, why was everything so tense?

Suengmin turned away to grab the fruit, and then turned back to see Jisung had moved right behind him. He jumped a little in surprise, but could already feel a smile threatening to break through at the somewhat close proximity of the young boy. Wordlessly passing the food to Jisung, Seungmin tried not to stare at the adorably fluffy hair covering the top of his head.  _ Why _ was he so pretty?

The fruit was gone in a few short bites, Jisung apparently hungry. He turned to look at Seungmin once it was all gone, an indecipherable look in his eyes. 

“Sorry, was that not enough? I have more, let me go-”

“No!” Jisung interrupted, before turning bright red, “I mean, it was enough. More than enough, actually. Thank you.”

Seungmin paused before nodding, “so, what’s up?”

“Oh um…” Jisung hesitated, “it’s just... I don’t know if you want to… I’m still kinda scared and I feel safe around you so maybe I could sleep with you tonight? Not in like a weird way, but in the I almost just died and need to hug someone kind of way, and It’s fine if you don’t want to I know you just met me but-”

“Hush, little Squirrel,” Seungmin stopped his rant. He leaned down to look the young boy in the eyes.

“Of course I will sleep with you tonight. And however many nights you like. You can cuddle me and stay as close to me as you want, I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

Jisung’s eyes welled up in tears, before he rushed into Seungmin’s chest and wrapped his arms around Seungmin in a bone-crushing hug. A wet spot formed on the front of Seungmin’s shirt, but that was the last thing on his mind as he held his arms around Jisung and hugged him impossibly closer, rubbing circles onto his back as he sobbed in Seungmin arms for the second time that night. He quietly shushed him as he continued to hug him before he finally quieted. They stood hugging like that for a few moments longer before Jisung gently pulled away. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just I-”

“I know, little Squirrel, I know. Let’s go to bed, okay?” Seungmin released one of his arms, but remained holding one of Jisung’s hand as he guided him across the room to his bedroom, passing the unneeded guest room. 

As they made their way inside, Seungmin closed the door behind them and guided Jisung to the bed. Seungmin’s bed was pretty plain looking, a queen bed Minho bought (read: stole) while in the city. His blankets were enchanted, of course, so he had no worries about the comfort of the Squirrel boy. 

“Come to bed, Little Squirrel,” Seungmin sat on the side of the bed, and Jisung followed his lead. When he collapsed backwards, Jisung followed again, seemingly afraid to do anything first. Seungmin smiled to himself, before pulling the blankets back and gesturing for Jisung to get under them. When the boy complied, Seungmin turned the light off with a single whispered word and joined him under the covers. 

Not a second had passed before Jisung pressed his body against Seungmin, his face nestling into the crook of Seungmin’s neck. Seunmgnin tried not to squirm as each exhale tickled his neck, unwilling to make the boy move. 

“Goodnight, Jisung,” he whispered into the dark. 

“‘Night, Minnie,'' Seungmin could feel Jisung’s smile against his neck, and sighed in bliss. He wanted to treasure this moment and remember it forever, as the comforting warmth radiating off of Jisung slowly lulled him to sleep.

—————

“I don't care, Changbin, that is not your decision to make!”

“I don’t care! Father, I’m not going to do that!” 

“Yes you are! You don’t have a choice in the matter! Tomorrow, you  _ will _ drain that girl, you  _ will _ accept your duties as the crown prince, and you will  _ stop _ messing around! You aren’t a child anymore, Changbin. You have responsibilities!”

“Like murdering humans?”

“They are just humans! When did you get so sensitive about this?”

“It’s different when the blood comes from a dead girl!”

“It’s not the first time you’ve had a dead girl's blood, just get it over with!”

“What do you mean it's not the first time?”

Changbin’s father sat in stoic silence, his face not revealing any emotion, as usual. But his silence was enough. 

“Father what did you do!”

“Did you really believe every blood bag in the fridge comes for a willing volunteer? This is why you need to do this, Changbin, you are far too naive!”

Changbin stood in stunned silence. Nausea flooded his system as the meaning grind his fathers words hit him. He had been drinking from-

“F-father?” He stuttered.

“Don’t be such a child! You are old enough to not cry like a fucking toddler. Get over it, you can’t do anything about it anyways. I will see you tomorrow. For your sake and my own, I hope you have gotten over this- this thing,”

WIth that his father left the room as Changbin slumped to the floor. The blood- his father always said they posed as a blood drive for hospitals, and Changbin had- he had- 

If Changbin had a working heart, he was sure it would be beating out of his chest. If he had working lungs, he would be hyperventilating. If he had working eyes, he would be crying, sobbing on the floor. But he doesn’t have any of that. Instead, he shook lightly on the floor as he thought about every time he had drunk the blood his father gave him, and everytime he just drank some, blissfully unaware. 

After an immeasurable amount of time, Changbin's thoughts stopped racing and slowed enough for him to refocus on his surroundings. Still in his dad’s office, still sitting on the ground. 

He couldn’t stay.

He had to leave.

But where could he go? His only friend had disappeared a few years before, not bothering to check on Changbin. Sure he and Chan weren’t closest, but for him to completely disappear hurts more than Changbin was willing to admit, because he really is alone now. Maybe he always was. 

Changbin stood on shaky legs as he willed himself to stand up and walk to the heavy door. Only one thought was in his head anymore: running away. He could leave like Chan did, find somewhere safe to live, find ethically sourced blood and make friends and never have to hurt anyone again. 

The long hallways felt cold in a way they never had before. The hiding spots he used as a kid, the door frame that was still cracked, even the room where he had his first kiss. Each memory stabbed into his heart, but nothing would make him stay. Nothing would feel the same if he didn’t leave. He couldn’t stand the thought of killing someone, even to make his father proud. 

He finally reached his own room, and stepped inside. At least, part of his room. Living in a mansion had perks, such as a private bathroom and huge walk in closet. His room was decorated almost exactly like the rest of the house: dark colors, red accents, old and refined, like his parents always wanted. This was what the guests saw when they asked to see his room, the friends his mother forced on him. This wasn’t his home. 

He walked through the room without a second thought, into the space that was truly his own. The huge walk-in closet that Changbin had repurposed into his sanctuary. The walls were painted a baby pink, with one side of clothes sophisticated and dark, the other a fluffy rainbow of colors. He had a green beanbag in one corner, and piles of sketchbooks from over the years. From scribbles as a young child, to the drawings he was proud of from the recent times. Everything in this room was soft and colorful and so much better than the dark and fancy house it was situated in. 

Only Chan had ever been in this room with him, and it had taken nearly a year of friendship and three separate kisses for Changbin to trust him enough to show him. Chan was, of course, entirely supportive and they cuddled on the beanbag for hours, just talking and exposing all of their other secrets. An unexpected flash of pain shot through his chest at the thought of Chan, his best friend in the entire fucking world, and they way he just left. 

Changbin’s mother had always tried to find a nice vampiric girl from a wealthy family for Changbin to date. Every few months, she would have found a new one, and after one or two incredible tense dates, he would avoid any and all contact with them until his mother gave up and would go back on the hunt. That is, until after a slightly heated, but otherwise successful conversation with his parents. His mother was not even phased, simply finding nice vampiric boys from wealthy families to set him up with. Chan was one of those dates, and they had become something more than friends even if they never really labeled anything. So maybe when he left without a goodbye, just a note saying to not look for him, it hurt Changbin more than it should have. 

But it doesn’t matter anymore, not when he was going to do the same thing. Could he survive in the city, surrounded by people, without snapping and killing someone and making the whole process of running away useless? Maybe not. He could go to the forest, hunt some animals to survive. But did he really want to kill animals either? Changbin muttered to himself as he realized the dependency he had on his family and the blood they provided him with.

He grabbed his favorite backpack, a medium grey heavy-duty bag that Changbin had for years. Looking around his room, he grabbed the essentials and packed his life away. A large hunting knife, two changes of clothes, a necklace he loved, three sketchbooks (two old favorites and his current, half-filled one), and his stuffed bunny, shoved at the bottom and almost completely hidden. No one needed to see that. The clothes were all black, as he didn’t know where he would end up. Maybe he could search for Chan, if he was nearby. But he most likely wasn’t, as his parents had sent out a small search, just in case something bad had actually happened. They didn’t find anything, so Changbin doubted that he would be more successful. 

After weighing his options, he decided the forest was the best bet. As much as he didn’t want to kill an animal, he would rather starve himself to death than drink a human. 

_ If you even have control. _ A snide voice whispered at the back of his head. Which was true, a vampire could survive up to three weeks without any blood, but after the first two weeks they usually went feral, killing without conscious thought. The very idea of losing control scared Changbin more than his parents' rage did, but it was too late to turn back. He had decided to leave, and so he would. Nothing could stop him now, as he popped open the door and jumped, running towards his new future. 

\-------

In hindsight, Changbin probably should have planned his escape better. Should have found somewhere to go with food that doesn’t run, and isn’t afraid of him. Because no matter what he does, he can’t bring himself to kill whatever he can catch. He drops the rabbit he had spent 20 minutes hunting, and watched it bound off into the bushes without a glance backwards. 

He settled into the ground, the flaming pain taking over again as his thirst began to get the better of him. He could smell many appetizing meals around, diggin his nails into his pale skin as a desperate effort to not give in to the thirst. The driving force that made him track down the rabbit was pulling him again, displeased with the results of the hunt. His sense of smell was good, too good, as it picked up something he had been trying to avoid. 

Human.

It was a distance away, and smelled slightly off. Maybe a cursed human, or a witch. The blood was mixed with magic, but the blood was human and smelled  _ so sweet _ . So Changbin screamed silently, begging himself to stop, but could do nothing as his legs picked him up again and carried him off through the woods, getting closer and closer to the sickeningly sweet smell. As he got closer, he picked up a second smell, somewhat human but very tainted. It seemed to ward Changbin away, but it was useless against the uncontrollable hunger in his very bones. 

The night had left a blanket of darkness over the woods, but it didn’t stop Changbin’s sharp eyes from spotting a small hut in a clearing ahead. The smell was definitely coming from inside, his mouth watering from the sweet smell. Feeling so out of control, Changbin watched helplessly as he got closer to the door and pushed it open without invitation. It exposed two boys, both appearing very young. They were tangled together on the only couch in the small room with a book open in between them. 

Both looked up in alarm, the one with the sweet scent already jumping upwards. The second one shot across the room and through one of the doors on the other side, but he was of no consequence to Changbin when the delicious-smelling boy stayed standing, his feet in a fighting stance. 

“Who are you!” The boy yelled. 

“ _ Hungry _ ” Changbin’s voice came out, much deeper and raspier than he usually sounded. He internally flinched at the sound, but saw the boy’s eyes widen.  _ Ah _ , he noticed the fangs, he probably realized his fate. 

“I have food, but you can’t eat me, okay?” The boy tried to bargain, but Changbin was already closing in as he stepped towards the kitchen. The boy took another step away, and Changbin threw himself across the small room, feet not even touching the floor as he reached for the boy, snarling, fangs extended waiting to sink his teeth into the sweet flesh when he stopped. Not by his own control, but frozen as if under a spell. He tried desperately to wrench his way free, to reach his prey, but he could not move an inch. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t like to do this,” the sweet-smelling boy said, looking genuinely apologetic. A witch, then. Spelled Changbin to keep himself safe. Changbin could only hope the boy had the good sense to kill him and put him out of his misery before they both got hurt. 

The boy turned away and towards the kitchen, opening some cabinets as he appeared to search for something. Changbin wanted to tell the boy that human food wouldn’t satisfy him, only a human's blood could do that, but his mouth was as frozen as the rest of him. 

Eventually, he seemed to find what he was looking for and pulled out a large jar full of something dark. A creepy liquid that looked frighteningly similar to blood. Oh god, the boy had blood in a jar.  _ What the actual fuck. _ The jar was placed down in front of Changbin and then he twisted the lid to open it. When the smell hit his nostrils, he already wanted to drink it down. It smelled even better than the tempting boy in front of him. 

“Alright, you can drink this. I’ll remove the spell if you promise to only drink this, not me or Jisung, got it?” 

Jisung was probably the other boy who had run off. Changbin had honestly forgotten about him, his blood smelling like poison. He couldn’t show his agreement to the witch, but hoped that he would be released. 

“Fine”

Changbin found himself in control of his limbs again, and dove for the blood without a second thought. He drank it quickly, not even taking time to acknowledge the sweet boy he had almost killed. He swallowed it in a matter of seconds, slowly feeling more in control as the horrible thirst left and only Changbin was left, level-headed and filled with guilt. He had almost just murdered someone, like the monster he was. 

When the jar was empty and his thirst completely quenched, Changbin finally looked back up. The sweet boy was still looking at him warily, but there was a light of understanding in his eyes that made Changbin feel some sort of way. 

“You still gonna eat me?” He asked, but with humor in his voice. It calmed CHangbin, somehow. 

“Nah. I’m… I’m good now. Thanks,” Changbin mumbled awkwardly. 

“Well, you don’t seem to be doing good. New to the whole vampire thing?”

“Um.. I’m new to… providing for myself. I don’t really like killing, so I’m kinda starving myself. I’m really sorry that I happened to be in the area when I lost it, I really didn’t mean to hurt you and I just-”

The boy interrupted him with a laugh. Changbin stared at the witch, flabbergasted. Was he laughing at a vampire? One who just tried to kill him, no less?

“It’s alright. I have some more blood if you need it. Your welcome to stay here for a while until you can find a more reliable source. I promise we won’t hurt you. 

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Changbin deadpanned. 

“I already stopped you once, and I’ll keep you stuffed with blood so you won't be hungry. I think it’ll be okay. Besides, vampires don’t like faeries, do they?”

“I wouldn’t know, I’ve never met one,”

“Ji? Wanna come out and meet our guest?” The boy called towards the door the second boy had fled behind during Changbin’s attack. 

The door opened a crack, and one wide, youthful eye peeked out, looking at Changbin with distrust. WIth a few words of encouragement from the sweet boy, the wide-eyed boy opened the door fully and shuffled over to his side, clutching on to the sweet boy’s shirt like a lifeline. He stared at Changbin like he was threatened by his very presence. Which, technically he wasn’t. His blood still smelled rancid. 

“Alright, introductions! My name is Seungmin, and this is my cottage. I am a nature witch, but I also know a bit about healing. This is Jisung, my half-faerie companion, and he’s staying here with me,” the sweet boy smiled kindly at Changbin, who realized at that moment he was still sitting on the floor clutching the now empty jar of blood. He quickly stood up, leaving the jar on the ground. 

“Changbin, Seo Changbin. Vampire. Um, I used to live with my parents a ways away, but ran away from home for, um reasons, and I’ve been wandering the forest and I don’t really know how to get blood without my parents. So, yeah. Sorry again for, like, trying to kill you and everything.”

“Nice to meet you Changbin! Like I said, I have some more blood so you are welcome to stay here in the cottage, I have an extra bedroom. Or, you can stay in the forest if you prefer, and come back when you get thirsty. Either way, I don’t hold grudges for what people cannot control.” The sweet boy, Seungmin, was still smiling. The other was looking at him with curiosity, but not fear. Changbin found it simultaneously endearing and absolutely foolish. 

“If you would let me, I would appreciate being able to stay in the spare room for a while, just until I find a more permanent place to live,” Changbin eventually spoke, falling back onto the proper manners his parents had engraved in him. 

“In that case, welcome! You can set your bag down for now and we can get to know each other better,” Seungmin gestured to the backpack that had been clinging to Changbin for so long, he had mostly forgotten it was there. He set it down with a heavy thump, and looked back towards Seungmin. 

“Come sit down at the table, we were just about to have dinner. I have another cup of blood for you, I imagine you’re still hungry,” Seungmin pulled a stool out from a small table in the corner which he was pretty sure didn’t exist a few seconds before. 

Nevertheless, he followed the witch’s instruction and sat at the offered stool with a thump. The scared looking boy from before sat opposite him, leaving a seat in between for Seungmin. With Seungmin just a few steps away, Changbin didn’t dare try to start a conversation, instead looking carefully at the boy across the table. 

Seungmin had described him as his ‘companion’ which could mean anything. Were they romantically involved, or business partners, or brothers, or childhood friends, or just roommates. For some reason, the idea of the boys being romantically involved set Changbin off, disliking the idea for reasons unknown to himself. 

While Seungmin was confident and clever, the boy was small. He had a thin frame and fluffy hair, with puffy cheeks Changbin had the urge to squeeze. He wore a yellow shirt and loose fitting black trousers, everything about him screamed ‘innocent’. A horrible emotion to feel, envy, was slowly filling Changbin. This kid was so cute and sweet and no one would ever think to tell him to wear black, living with the kindest boy he had ever met in a beautiful home in the woods. Why should he get everything?

“Here,” the food was placed as Seungmin joined them at the table. He and Jisung had a stew of some sort, while Changbin had a smaller cup of blood to drink. He was still thirsty, especially after fasting for such a long time. 

Seungmin chatted during dinner, clearly trying to pull both of the boys into a conversation. Jisung would respond happily to Seungmin, even smiling occasionally. His smile always dropped when he remembered Changbin was there, leaving Changbin guilty and envious of the relationship he still knew nothing about. 

Dinner finished and Jisung disappeared into the same bedroom he hid in earlier. Seungmin wasn’t bothered, just collecting the used dishes and putting them in the sink and starting to wash them. It wasn’t until Seungmin turned away and walked back to the table that Changbin realized the dishes were washing themselves. 

“So, wanna tell me why you’re all alone in the forest, starved to the brink of murder?” Seungmin said, voice soft in contrast with the harsh words. Changbin flinched. 

“Just, lost I guess? I didn’t want to kill anything but when I smelled your human blood, I kinda lost it. I’m still really sorry about that, by the way,” Changbin apologized, while hoping Seungmin would get sidetracked. He was, however, not that lucky. 

“You know, there's a law for vampires about not abandoning vampires who can’t feed themselves. You don’t seem young and there aren’t any rogue vampires in the area that I know of either. You were in the forest for almost two weeks before you showed up, so I would guess you are the missing Seo son?” Seungmin spoke as if discussing the weather, not completely exposing Changbin. 

“Huh? What? I- um- how did you-”

“I am many things, Seo Changbin. One of them is observant. I’m not gonna turn you in or anything, I’m not heartless and I can tell you left for a reason. I was just wondering, why did you run?” Seungmin seemed genuinely curious and Changbin could sense no underlying motives other than his obvious need to know everything. He was already worries about living with such a nosy witch, even if the witch was extremely cute and oddly endearing. 

“Well- there’s this ceremony thing. A coming of age celebration, I guess. One thing I had to do was kill a human girl, and I just- I couldn’t do it!” Changbin explained. Why was he explaining everything to this kid? 

“Why not?” His voice was soft, not accusatory at all. It made Changbin subconsciously relax, words falling out of his mouth without much thought. 

“I just don’t like to kill people. Or animals either. I guess the final straw was when he told me the truth about the blood he had in the kitchens. He always told me that he fronted as a blood drive, taking blood from volunteers and then taking it home instead of to a hospital. I believed it, and then he recently told me that he was lying, that it actually came from-” Changbin choked, “dead people. I’ve been drinking dead people for years, and I didn’t even know it. I couldn’t handle it!” 

Changbin was shaking again, crying was still not an option for a creature like him. Seungmin rested one of his hands on Changbin’s, which were clasped on the table in front of him. 

“I understand how much that must have hurt, knowing you’ve been lied to. I think I understand why you run. Even if it wasn’t the most thought out idea,” Seungmin chuckled, but it was warm instead of cruel, “I get it. You are, of course, still welcome to stay here for as long as you want to stay.”

Seungmin was finished talking, but made no move to get up from the table. He stayed seated, just resting his hands on top of Changbin’s own. 

“I may have someone else,” Changbin muttered. 

“Who is it, if i may ask?”

“An old vampire friend of mine. He also ran away, but it was years ago and I haven’t talked to him in a long time. If I could find him, he may help me. Or maybe he hates me too, I don’t really know.” If Chan still cared, he wouldn’t have left. He would have reached out and talked to Changbin. So maybe he doesn;t have somewhere else to go, but he didn’t want to admit that to this boy. For some reason, he didn’t want to seem weak.

“Sounds promising, What’s his name? I can ask around next chance I get.”

“Bang Chan, he left almost four years ago, I think,” Changbin said. Maybe Seungmin could really find him.

What he wasn’t expecting was a flash of recognition to cross the witch's feature that disappeared almost too fast for Changbin to notice. Seungmin’s feature were schooled in to a cool indifference within a split second, but Changbin saw. 

“You know him?” Changbin hated how desperate he sounded. 

“I’ve… heard the name,” Seungmin was clearly avoiding the topic, but Changbin didn’t trust him.

“Recently?”

“Um, yeah. As of a few weeks ago, he was fine. There is a large possibility that has changed since then,” again, Seungmin clearly knew more than he was letting on. If Changbin had a brain, he would leave the topic there. But the idea of his friend being so close was just too much. 

“Please, where would I find him? I miss him,” Changbin tried to play into the young boy’s caring nature, and was pleased to see some conflict in his eyes. Maybe it was a bit manipulative, but he really did miss Chan. 

“I don’t know where he is now. He had a run in with hunters a few weeks back, I don’t know if he made it out. If it’s the same guy, even,” Seungmin finally admitted. 

The world seemed to pause. Hunters know how to kill vampires, they are prime targets for the evil human beings. If Chan fought hunters and hasn’t been heard from-

He shoved his shaking hands in his lap, pulling them away from Seungmin’s. Of course Seungmin wouldn’t want to tell him his friend was dead, an emotional vampire was almost as dangerous as a hungry one. He nodded to show Seungmin that he understood the implications, and then stood up.

“If that’s all, can I go to sleep somewhere?” Changbin said coldly, fighting to keep his feelings hidden until he was alone. 

Seungmin nodded towards the second door in the cottage. 

“That’s the spare room. It should be empty, Jisung hasn’t used that room in a week. Maybe not perfectly clean, but the sheets are clean, however, so you are welcome to it,” he seemed to understand Changbin’s reaction. There would be more questions later, Changbin was sure, but for now Seungmin seemed content to let him leave.

“Alright, thanks,” turning away from the boy, he grabbed his bag from where it had been deposited on the floor and walked over to the door. It was almost identical to the other, except it didn’t have as much wear as the main bedroom door did. Seungmin was still sitting in the living room , and Changbin didn’t doubt that he was being watched. 

When he opened the door to reveal the room, he was pleasantly surprised. The room was spacious enough, with a full bed and clean blankets. There were a couple articles of clothing on a chair near the bed and the whole room was dusty, but it was a nice room. Mostly neutral tones, browns and beige and pale green. It felt very homey, and Changbin didn’t hesitate to close the door behind him and set the backpack down in the bed with a soft thump. 

The majority of vampires don’t sleep, only if they are starving and exerted an extreme amount of energy will a vampire fall into unconsciousness. Instead, he lit the lamp on the desk in the room and pulled out his sketchbooks. He left the stuffed bunny at the bottom, unwilling to expose such a deep part of himself to strangers, even strangers that gave him blood and let him stay in the house. 

—————

The first night in Seungmin’s bed had turned into a week of getting closer and cuddling during the nights. When Jisung would wake up screaming, images of his friends dead faces flashing through his mind, the laughter of one of the hunters ringing in his ears, it would always be Seungmin who calmed him down, who held him close and petted his hair until he wasn’t hysterical anymore. Jisung always apologized, and Seungmin would plant a kiss on the top of his head and laugh. 

It was almost everything Jisung wanted. It was far more than he expected when he ran away from hunters and opened his eyes to see an angel standing above him. The angel spoke softly, touched him gently, carried him like he was precious, healed his injuries, and put up with Jisung’s clinginess. It was almost everything he could ever want but a small, growing part of Jisung wanted more. Wanted to pull Seungmin by the back of his neck into a kiss, and wanted to run his hands over every inch of the boy. 

And maybe it had something to do with the new kid, the vampire that had tried to kill them and drink their blood. Seungmin being the angel that he is, invited him inside, gave him blood from god knows where, and allowed him to stay in the guest bedroom that was technically supposed to be Jisung’s. Of course, that just meant he got to spend every night with Seungmin automatically, but it didn’t stop him from being slightly jealous. Because sometimes the vampire would sit on the couch and stare at nothing, and Seungmin would sit nearby in silence. And Jisung could always tell when he wasn’t needed, so he would go to his (Seungmin’s) room and lay on the bed and listen to the faint murmuring of voices until he fell asleep all alone. And even if Seungmin was always there when he woke up, it didn’t stop him from selfishly wanting more. 

And maybe it had something to do with the fact the new boy hadn’t spoken more than a few words to him, and seemed to be spilling his life secrets to Seungmin. Because it was Jisung’s stupid feelings that wanted to hold Seungmin so tight that he would never leave him alone, and his stupid feelings that wanted to grab Changbin as well, and hold him closer. He was a fool to ever think Seungmin would fall for someone like Jisung, a half-breed with emotional baggage and no special talents over than hovering when he got excited and feeling every living thing within a 50 foot radius of himself. Which, interestingly enough, he couldn’t feel Changbin. He reasoned that it was because he wasn’t alive, but it didn’t help him when he kept getting scared by the older boy every other step he took. 

“Jisung?” A voice called from the cottage, and Jisung turned to see Seungmin’s angelic body peeking out from one of the many plant-filled windows.

“Come inside for dinner!” He called, and then his face disappeared. 

Jisung let out a sigh and stood up from where he had been sitting in the grass, enjoying the wildflowers that bloomed under his fingertips. The sunlight warmed his face as he walked slowly, soaking up the golden rays. All too soon, he reached the door to the cottage and went inside. He found the vampire boy lounging on the couch, beady eyes watching Jisung’s every move. He could feel Seungmin moving around the kitchen in a well-practiced dance, cooling off baked potatoes from the oven. Jisung glanced at the oldest boy every few seconds, just in case he moved, but sat down at the small table that Seugmin had cleared off to use as a dining table. Anyone could tell Seungmin was used to living alone, but Jisung appreciated the effort he put in to make both of the homeless boys feel like they had a home. 

He heard a shuffled movement from the couch and immediately locked his eyes on Changbin. Any amount of cuteness in his face was covered by the permanent scowl that seemed to be etched into his face. When his red eyes flicked over to Jisung with a judgemental glare barely hidden, Jisung just wanted to curl up and simultaneously wanted to confront the older boy about his obvious dislike. 

He sat down across the tiny table with a thump, hateful gaze averted to the side instead of Jisung, for once. Seungmin placed a plate in front of Jisung, the tempting smell of a perfectly baked potato making his mouth water. The effect was ruined by the metallic smell wafting from the cup in front of Changbin, the dark liquid inside making Jisung’s gut twist. Logically, he knew Changbin had to drink the stuff to live, but it didn’t exactly endear the older to him. Maybe if the older didn’t glare at Jisung every chance he got, Jisung would be more willing to accommodate the vampire’s diet, but Jisung couldn’t bring himself to care when all Changbin ever did was look at him with disgust in his eyes. He always made Jisung feel so small and useless. 

“Alright, eat well. Changbin, that’s the last cup of blood I have, I will have to go to the city to get more,” Seungmin said carefully as he sat down. 

Jisung’s hand paused from where he had been digging his fork into the steaming potato. Seungmin was leaving? Would he have to go back into the city, trailing behind Seungmin like a lost dog as they looked for blood? Where would they even get that?  _ How _ did Seungmin know about that? WHat if they saw the hunters that had tried to kill Jisung before, or what if he found his friends and could go back and would never see Seungmin again?

“I should only be gone for just one, so Changbin shouldn’t even get thirsty. You can stay here, as I know your family is still searching for you,” Seungmin continued. 

But then the angelic face turned to Jisung, and he could see the look in his eyes as Seungmin realized he couldn’t leave Jisung here alone. He needed Seungmin to sleep, to live, to even survive anymore. And especially left alone with Chanbin, who apparently hated his guts for no reason. Jisung was terrified of being left alone for even a minute with someone he can’t sense who had a sharp spark of hatred in his eyes each time their eyes met. 

“Jisung… we can talk after dinner, okay?” 

He could do nothing but nod, already feeling the familiar panic rising in his veins. Without Seungmin, JIsung would last a minute. 

Dinner passed without any more attempts at conversation between the three boys. Changbin finished first, of course, sucking down his meal in a few minutes, with Jisung finishing next. He ate faster than Seungmin, who always took his time with everything. When all three were sitting in silence, looking at empty dishes, Seungmin grabbed the cups and plates and stood up from the table. 

“Meet me in our bedroom, Ji?” He phrased it like a question, but JIsung doubted he expected an answer, so he stood up without fanfare and entered the room. 

_ Our bedroom. _

God, did Jisung like the sound of that. He looked at the bed they shared, the wardrobe full of clothes they shared, the book on the bedside table that Seungmin had been helping Jisung with. Jisung sort of knew how to read, having only learned it when he was left by the other faeries. 

“Alright come here, Squirrel Boy,” Seungmin's voice came from behind him. WIthout a second thought he turned and tucked himself in the younger boy’s arms. His comforting, earthy scent wrapped around Jisung, calming his nerves. He was almost certain it was magical, but found that fitting for a boy like Seungmin. 

“Are you going to be okay in the cottage without me?” He asked softly, lips pressed into the top of his head. 

“No,” Jisung answered truthfully, voice muffled by Seungmin’s shirt. 

“Going into the city might not be a great idea, though. I would prefer if you stayed here, where you are safe,” Seungmin pulled back to look him in the eyes. 

Seungmin’s eyes were bright and passionate, overfilled with love and concern that caused Jisung to break down right then. He sobbed into Seungmin’s shirt, hands bunching the fabric as if he could hold on to Seungmin forever. 

A warm hand rubbed comforting circles into his back, the voice whispering calming words into his ear. How could he ever let this go, even for a couple days. When his breathing evened out, Seungmin began to speak again. 

“I really think you should stay, little Squirrel. I will come back, I promise. I would never leave you if I could help it. In the meantime, you should get to know Changbin better. He needs a friend, and you do too.”

“Changbin doesn’t like me,” Jisung whispered. 

“He doesn’t dislike you, no one could ever dislike once they knew you. You just need to talk to each other, okay baby?” Jisung was always weak for pet names, from being called a Squirrel since Seungmin found him, to ‘baby’ and ‘honey’ and ‘Sungie’ and ‘Ji’, every time Seunmgin called him, he melted a little more inside. 

So Jisung found himself nodding, even if he didn’t really agree to being left behind again. 

“Okay. I’m leaving tomorrow, so you still have me for tonight, okay little Squirrel?”

Jisung nodded again. 

“Alright. Hop in the bed, I’ll join you after I say goodnight to Changbin, okay?”

Reluctantly, Jisung released Seungmin from his grip and stumbled over to the bed. The blankets were cool, but Jisung knew that it would warm up after Seungmin joined him. He could hear the quiet conversation happening without him, and couldn’t make out the words. When it ended and Seungmin reentered the room, Jisung smiled at him and held his arms open in invitation. 

Seungmin crawled into the bed and settled next to Jisung, pulling him close to his chest. Jisung could hear Seungmin’s beating heart, and allowed himself to pretend that he was the reason for Seungmin’s nervousness, not the trip tomorrow. His eyes closed softly as he relished in the warmth and love from the other boy, smiling as his nuzzled his face between Seungmin’s neck and the pillow. 

Just before he fell asleep, Jisung thought he heard Seungmin whisper “Goodnight my love”, but was too far away to think about what that meant. 

The next day came quickly, and the day flew by until the three boys were standing in the living room as Seungmin clasped his bag shut and heaved it onto his back. 

“Alright, I’ll be back tomorrow, most likely in the afternoon. No one should stop by except Hyunjin, but if you tell him I’m not home, he’ll leave,” Seungmin continued to go over every possible situation. 

“Wait, who’s Hyunjin?” Changbin interrupted. 

“Hyunjin is an old friend of mine, a sweet centaur who lives in the woods around here. He’s basically harmless, if a bit clumsy. He’s really sweet, and will leave if I’m not home. Don’t worry, you are both very safe here.”

Seungmin looked between the two boys as if trying to read their minds. 

“Look, this is a chance for you two to get closer together. Please, at least try to talk to each other. It will make me feel better if both of my boys get along, alright?”

_ Both of my boys. _ Seungmin’s words were going to be the death of poor Jisung, who was too busy enjoying the idea of being Seungmin’s to really think about what it implied. 

“Goodbye, I love you both, and please be safe while I’m gone, okay?” 

He hugged each boy goodbye, and then was out the door. Jisung sat in the grass outside the door until he couldn’t see Seungmin anymore, but didn’t get up even when the witch was long gone. 

The sun kissed his cheeks in a way that reminded him of the faerie forests of his youth, before they gave up on him. A wingless bird couldn’t fly, they reminded him, hovering above him with teasing smiles. Even if Jisung was able to lift himself off the ground and hover, he would never be able to dart through the skies like a shooting star, as he saw all the others doing. He was too heavy to fly, not enough magic to lift him more than a few feet off the ground, why even bother trying to teach him if he doesn’t have wings? 

The birds chirped, and Jisung noticed a nest of blue jays just past the tree line. Seungmin loved it, he always squealed with joy when there was new life in his forest. He hadn’t even been gone a day and Jisung was already thinking about him, he sure was pathetic. Even if the wild flowers that popped up around his toes disagreed, he eventually stood and wandered back into the cold house to find some food. The forest wasn’t safe in the dark, so he would have to spend the night with the older vampire who may or may not try to kill him as he sleeps. 

Speaking of the cold man, he was nowhere to be seen in the cottage, which made Jisung’s blood run cold. He couldn’t sense him, had no way of knowing where he was, if he planned on scaring Jisung or grabbing and and fleeing into the woods, sucking him dry now that Seungmin couldn’t curse him into a statue. He did a quick search of the main room and found no sign of the vampire, so hesitantly walked towards the fridge to grab the meal Seungmin had prepared for him already. It was a simple salad, but looked tasty already. Lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and corn with a tasty sauce, it was a simple meal the Jisung always loved. 

“Hey”

Jisung almost jumped out of his skin at the voice behind him. He turned in the flash to face the older boy. 

“Um- hey” Jisung stuttered quietly. Could he make it to the door before the vampire caught him? Probably not. Maybe he could make a dive for the window, or grab a jar and hit him in the face to buy some time. 

“I just wanna say, I don’t hate you, you know,” Changbin finally said. Jisung turned to him with confusion in his eyes. 

“Huh?”

“I don’t hate you. Like, at all. I heard what you said to Seungmin, and I’m sorry. I don’t hate you, hell I don’t even dislike that much. Which is a compliment coming from me. Just, don’t worry about it, okay?” 

Jisung was frozen, staring at the older boy. For the first time since they met, he didn’t have a dangerous glint in his eyes, or look like he was waiting for a chance to kill him. He looked apologetic, and maybe a little childlike. He really was only a few years older than Jisung, if he counted the fact the vampires aged slower. 

“Oh. Um, thanks. I don’t hate you either. Maybe a little scared of you, but I never hated you,” Jisung admitted. 

Changbin nodded, “so, maybe we can be friends, I guess? I know Seungmin wanted us to.”

“Yeah, we can be friends! Yeah!” Jisung nodded. Maybe he was a bit too excited about being liked by the older boy. 

“Great. Well, I’m not going to keep you from your dinner. Enjoy,” with that, Changbin disappeared back into his bedroom. 

Eating alone was torturous, so used to having Seungmin sitting with him, talking about the plants he was growing and the potions he planned on making. Even Changbin’s presence would have been appreciated, but Jisung didn’t dare ask him to sit nearby just so Jisung didn’t get too far in his own head. 

He finished his salad quickly and washed his dishes, trying to avoid the copious amount of plants that covered every square inch of the counters, it seemed. Seungmin always found some space to work and prepare food, but Jisung’s eyes couldn’t spot a single break in the flora to set anything down. He opened cabinet after cabinet before finding one with all the dishes, not a single plate the same as another. It was chaotic and unique, much like Seungmin himself. 

He closed the doors he had opened and returned to the main room, settling on the couch. Seungin had been trying to help him read, and had given him easier books to read. Jisung knew what that really meant: kids books. However, Jisung didn’t mind so much, the simple stories were enough to keep him motivated to read even without being able to huddle into Seungmin’s side and read out loud so Seungmin could correct his pronunciation and give him definitions and grammar rules. He knew enough to do this on his own. 

After a few hours of reading, Jisung could say without any doubt that he needed Seungmin. Without his comforting presence, everything he’s learned has flown out the window. He really was pathetic; he couldn’t even read without Seungmin. He closed the book with a huff, trying to think of something else to do so he didn’t have to sleep. He couldn’t read without Seungmin, he wasn’t allowed in the forest after dark, he didn’t want to bother Changbin, Seungmin wasn’t making any potions for him to watch. There was nothing left for him. 

With a defeated sigh, he stood up and shuffled over to his room. It seemed so much larger and colder now that he didn’t share it with the witch. A slow crawl brought him to the pillow he usually used, and he tucked himself under the covers. His eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion slowly taking over. He just hoped he could make it through the night.

_ Jeongin’s eyes were wide, screaming “Hunters!”  _

_ Felix was holding Chan, shaking. Chan was yelling, but his words were lost as the door slammed open to reveal snarling faces of bloodhounds, trained to track magic. Masks covered most of the human faces, gloved hands, holding onto the leases of the hounds. There was movement, and then pistols. Were pointed at his face. Chan pushed Felix, yelling “Run! All of you! And charged at the hunters. The dogs tried to bite him, but his thick vampiric skin protected him. Innie was gone, Felix frozen in the middle of the floor.  _

_ Jisung grabbed Felix’s arm, pulling him desperately to the back door left open by Jeongin’s escape. Felix broke out of his trance and started running too, and the pair of them ran for the forest. He plunged into the trees and noticed the hunters follow from the back door, racing after them. He tried not to focus on what that meant for Chan. Felix was gone, the forest changed into a dark alley with a dead end.  _

_ He screeched to a halt. This isn’t how it went. He made it, he’s okay. But the walls were solid, and he turned to see the hunters, with blazing red eyes and faerie wings coming closer, brandishing weapons dripping with blood. He screamed, screamed for Chan, Felix, Jeongin, Seungmin. No one came, no one was coming. He sank to his knees, sobbing. The lead hunter lifted his sword, about to swing down _

“Jisung!”

Jisung’s eyes shot open, arms shooting out to hit the form next to him. He heard an  _ oof _ but tried to sit up. He hit his head on the ceiling because of course he was flying. Right, it’s just a nightmare. He sank back down to the bed, exhausted. 

“Jisung?” A voice called quietly, a voice that was definitely not Seungmin’s. Instead, Changbin’s glowing red eyes stared back at him.  _ the hunters, with blazing red eyes and faerie wings coming closer. _

“Hey, calm down, it’s okay. It’s just a dream,” Changbin’s voice was oddly calming, he started to collect himself and breathe easier. 

“S-sorry” He gasped once he could breathe. 

“It’s okay, it’s just a dream. You don’t have to be scared,” Changbin kept talking. Jisung was itching to hold someone close, but without Seungmin, there wasn’t much he could do.

“B- binnie. Please, can you hug me?” His voice sounded weak and desperate in his own ears, but it apparently convinced Changbin because a second later the bed dipped as Changbin joined him on the mattress. 

Changbin pressed his chest against Jisung’s back, his arms wrapping around Jisung’s chest like metal bars. His skin was cool to the touch, a contrast to Jisung’s overheated body. Changbin tucked his chin against Jisung’s shoulder and pulled Jisung back until they were basically spooning in the bed. Jisung’s heart, which had calmed since the nightmare, began beating quickly again. 

“Thank you,” Jisung whispered into the still dark room. 

“Of course.”

A silence fell, but Jisung knew sleep was still a while away. Although he felt strangely comforted by the older boy’s arms, his mind was still focused on the images from his nightmares. His friends, the hunters, the forest. 

“Hey, can I ask you something?” the vampire spoke directly in Jisung’s ear, spoking him again. 

“S-sure”

“When you were asleep, you were screaming. That’s why I came to check on you. But then you screamed some people’s names, and I was just wondering who they were,” his voice trembled as if this wasn’t the full truth, but Jisung was too tired to try and figure out what that meant.

“Um, before I lived with Seungmin I lived with some friends. Innie was, I mean is, a shapeshifter. Felix is a human, technically, and Chan is a vampire. We lived in this little house close to the city, but some hunters found us and chased us away. I haven’t seen them since the hunters came, and I just hope they are okay,” Jisung talked. A part of him told him to shut up, to stop spilling his weaknesses to Changbin of all people, but he felt like he could trust him. If Seungmin trusted him, then Jisung could too. 

“Can- can you tell me about Chan? The vampire?”

“Yeah. I met him a few years ago after escaping from my family. He already had Felix with him, they never really talked about how they met. Chan is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, but also really protective. He never minded if we needed something at 4 am, he wouldn’t be asleep anyways. But if we went somewhere without telling him, or didn’t check in for a while, he would go crazy, start tearing out his hair in worry. One time Innie went to get a coffee but his usual cafe was closed so he walked a few blocks over to get a coffee, and happened to meet a friend or something so spent a long time there. When Innie didn’t come back, Chan went to the coffee place and when he saw it was closed and Innie wasn’t anywhere around, he nearly lost his shit. He had me and Felix stay next to him the whole time, refusing to let us out of his sight. He tracked Innie’s scent the whole way to the other shop and when he saw him with another guy, almost ripped the other guy’s head off. It was scary, but also kinda cool. After that, Felix always went with Innie to get coffee because Felix actually texts Chan back,” Jisung laughed at the memory. 

“What about the Felix guy? You said he’s technically a human?”

“Yeah, he was a human, but got cursed or something. We don’t know the full curse because Felix didn’t like to talk about it, but its like an immortal thing, I think. He’s like 70 years old, still looks like he’s 20. He and Chan had a bond because of that, the whole ‘not aging’ thing drew them together. Innie and I age, but Felix stays young. I think there is some other stuff to the curse, but Felix really didn’t like to talk about it. It’s really sad, actually,” Felix was never quiet, except for when they asked about his curse. It always made Jisung wonder what happened to make him cursed in such a way. 

“And, Felix and Chan, were they like, together? Or, just friends,” Changbin asked hesitantly again. Jisung’s internal alarms went off at Changbin’s specific curiosity, but he probably has a reason, right? A yawn erupted from his chest, and drowsiness overtook him. 

“Yeah, they were together. Making out on the couch and fucking when they thought Innie and I were gone. But usually they were actually a really cute couple,” even if Jeongin and Jisung told them to put a sock on the door and they never did. 

“They sound like great friends,” Changbin’s voice trembled again, and Jisung was too tired to overthink it. He just wanted to sleep, so he fluttered his eyes closed. 

“They really were. I really hope they made it out,” Jisung mumbled before sleep took him again. He barely noticed hos Changbin tighten his arms at his words. 

He didn’t have any more dreams for the rest of the night. 

In the morning, Changbin was gone from the bed. When Jisung stumbled out to the living room, he was sitting on the couch reading one of Seungmin’s books, specifically one of magical creatures. 

“Mornin’” Jisung yawned. 

“Good morning. Sleep well?”

“Yeah, mostly. Hey, was I dreaming when you came and talked to me?” Jisung asked. He hoped it wasn’t a dream, he loved the feeling of being pulled close to Changbin’s cold chest and talking about his friends. 

“No, I was there. You have sweet friends.”

Jisung grinned at him. Changbin smiled too, before focusing back on the book in his hands. 

“Hey, can I ask something?” Jisung sat down at the opposite end of the small couch, pulling his knees to his chest as he looked at the older boy. 

“Go for it,” Changbin put his book down and looked at Jisung with a blank expression. 

“Why did you ask about my friends so much?”

Changbin seemed to freeze, despite having been still before. Jisung was sure he would be blushing if he wasn’t a vampire. 

“No reason,” the same tremble in his voice that Jisung had connected to Changbin’s lies, and half-truths.

“Bullshit”

“I knew Chan, before,” now it was Jisung’s turn to freeze. Of course the two vampires would know each other. 

“Oh, were you friends, or…” Jisung really didn’t know how to approach a subject like this, where Changbin looked lost in painful memories. How did Seungmin do it?

“Yeah. He was one of my only friends, and one of the few that I could show all the parts of myself. I always knew Chan hated the world of vampires, but I never expected him to just… leave. No warning, barely a note, he was gone. It hurt, it really did. I’m glad he got out though, and found a family,” Changbin smiled at Jisung, “I just wish he hadn’t left me alone.”

Changbin hung his head, and Jisung’s chest hurt. Chan was always so sweet to them, but the idea that he had left someone like Changbin? Jisung was filled with guilt that he got to be with Chan while Changbin was left alone. So, he did the only thing he knew how to do: cuddle. 

Jisung dove across the small couch into Changbin’s lap, wrapping his arms around the vampire’s shoulders and holding him tightly. His skin was still too cold to be comfortable, but reasonable enough for Jisung to never want to let go. 

“I’m sorry you were left behind, I know how much that hurts. But it’s okay now, because you have me and Seungminnie and you will never be alone again, not if I can stop it,” Jisung hugged him tighter with each word that spilled from his mouth. Changbin was shaking violently, so Jisung just kept holding him.

Several minutes passed before Changbin was still again, but even then Jisung didn't let go. In fact, he kept holding on until Changbin tried to escape, squirming away from Jisung’s love. Shit. Jisung loved him. 

Filing  _ that _ thought away for later, be released the older from his hug but stayed directly in front of him. 

“I’m not Chan and you have no real reason to trust me, but I can tell you with almost total certainty that you can be completely honest with me and I won’t judge you for anything. Unless you’re secretly a serial rapist or something, we might have an issue. Otherwise, I won’t judge,” Jisung joked, and the corner of Changbin’s mouth quirked up. 

“You sure? I might scare you…” Changbin trailed off, but there was amusement in his eyes that filled Jisung with hope. 

“You don’t scare me anymore. You ruined that when you cuddled me to sleep last night,” he grinned in Changbin’s direction, who just sighed. 

“Alright. Basically, um, I- shit this never gets easy. Don’t laugh please?” His eyes were full of raw pain and hope, Jisung could never bring himself to hurt the older when he looked so vulnerable. He nodded at Changbin’s words, trying to convey his genuine love and support.

“Um, alright first thing is I’m gay,” Changbin averted his eyes to stare at the floor. 

“Me too, dumbass. You’ll have to try harder than that to scare me,” Jisung smiled, and Changbin returned it for a second before looking away again. 

“Also, I kinda really like bright colors and pastels and stuff like that. I mean, I like wearing black too, but I really prefer other colors and softer things, you know?” 

Jisung gaped at Changbin for a second, his mind already imagining Changbin in a pink sweatshirt and white shorts. Or a skirt. Jisung wore skirts a few times back when he lived with Chan, but even Seungmin didn’t know about that particular part of Jisung’s fashion sense. 

“I know it’s stupid. Please, don’t mean,” Changbin continued, completely misinterpreting the shock on Jisung’s face. 

“No! No, I don’t hate it! I love it actually, I may have been imagining you in bright colored outfits and falling in love, don’t mind me. That’s actually really nice Changbin! And I already promised, no judgement here! Hell, we might even share clothes, ‘cuz that’s what I like to wear as well!” Jisung was openly grinning at the idea. 

“Wait, what did you say?” Changbin’s voice was harsh, harsher than Jisung expected and his smile dimmed. 

“What did I say?”

“Falling in love?” 

Jisung felt all the blood rush from his face. He had just realized he had a crush on the older, and had already blurted it out to the vampire. Good job, Jisung, you always fuck everything up. 

“U-um I didn’t mea- I was just- the idea of you- I’m sorry I can go I was just-” Jisung was a stuttering mess, he could feel the bright red blush covering his entire face. His ears burned and he was fully prepared to jump away from the couch and run into the bedroom. 

“Jisung? Look at me please?” Changbin’s voice was softer than before, reaching out to grab one of Jisung’s hands in his own.

Jisung raised his head and looked at Changbin, eyes swimming with too many emotions for Jisung to decode. 

“Jisung, do you like me?” Changbin asked, his voice dead serious. 

“M- maybe?”

“Maybe?” Changbin raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know! I just found out yesterday that you don’t hate my guts and yeah you’re really cute and hot and sweet and you cuddled me and care about me and seeing you sad made me feel like the worst person in the world even if it wasn’t my fault so yeah maybe I am starting to kinda maybe possibly have a crush on you!” Jisung blurted out in a messy word vomit, every single feeling spilling out of his mouth like a flood. 

“Jisung, please look at me,” Changbin called again, squeezing the hand still being held by Changbin’s colder ones. He looked up at Changbin through his lashes, the older meeting his gaze with surprisingly soft eyes. 

“Jisung, I like you to. I never hated you, I was actually jealous. You were so cute and sweet and you wear nice clothes and you were so close with Seungmin and- I just was kinda jealous. But I thought about it and maybe my jealousy was just me being in denial about liking you.” 

Internally, Jisung was screaming. Like, teenage-girl-at-a-boy-band-concert level of screeching. However, he would have to be completely honest about everything before he could be with Changbin. 

“Wait, I have a confession first,” Jisung found himself saying. 

“Yeah?” Changbin’s face was still full of joy, but with anxiousness was visible in the back of his eyes. 

“I like Seungmin too. I like both you,” Jisung blurted. 

Instead of the disgust that Jisung expected, Changbin broke out into another smile. 

“I like him too, you know.”

Jisung’s chest felt like it was full of balloons, expanding so much as the pure joy he felt. He was happier than he had been in years, since meeting Chan and Felix all those years ago. Without thinking, he tucked himself back into Changbin’s arms, which somehow seemed warmer than before. Of course it wasn’t warm enough to be normal, but Jisung wouldn't want it any other way. 

“We should probably tell Seungmin when he gets home,” Changbin said above him, but still wrapped his arms tight enough to keep Jisung pressed against his chest, so Jisung just hummed his agreement. 

_ Home. _

Changbin had called it his home. Not just his, but all of theirs. Suddenly, Jisung was years in the future, the three of them living together in the tin cottage practically on top of each other, sharing kisses in the kitchen before heading outside for the day, coming home at night and cuddling together in the same bed, a mess of limbs and kisses and love. If Jisung was falling for the two boys before, he was head-over-heels from that image alone. 

“Hey Jisung, come here for a sec,” Changbin suddenly released his arms and gently tugged Jisung away. Jisung pouted, but stopped when he saw the expression on the older boy’s face. 

“Can I kiss you?” He asked softly, staring hungrily at Jisung lips.

“Please,” he whispered, before Changbin’s mouth was on his. 

Was it stupid to kiss a vampire? Probably. Did Jisung care? Not at all. With Changbin’s mouth slotted perfectly against his own, full of passion and joy. It was a bit inexperienced and awkward, neither wanting to take control of the kiss. However, Jisung decided that it was perfect. Changbin’s lips were soft, if slightly chapped and dry. Jisung was definitely smiling too much for it to be a good kiss, but neither boy seemed willing to end it. 

When they finally pulled away, Jisung rested his forehead on Changbin’s and looked into his blood red eyes. 

“You’re perfect,” He breathed. 

“So are you,” Changbin retorted. 

They both giggled, going in for another kiss. It stayed very chaste and sweet, both just happy to be close. 

“Alright, that's enough,” Changbin laughed, gently pushing Jisung away. He pouted at the vampire, hoping to get just one more kiss before he went outside. 

The older man obliged; he got a quick peck on the lips before Changbin stood up from the couch and left him, lips still puckered with a pleading look on his face. He thrived off kisses, and physical affection in general, so now that he knows Changbin returns his feelings he never wants to be separated. 

Instead, he was met with a bowl being presented to him. 

“Here’s the breakfast Seungmin left for you,” Changbin tried to keep a smooth face, but Jisung was now able to pick out the shyness behind the facade of the older vampire. He grabbed the bowl full of granola and blueberries and chewed on the food thoughtfully. 

“What do you think Seungmin will say?” Jisung voiced his concern.

“He won’t be mad or anything, I literally tried to kill him and he was okay with it,” Changbin joked, his eyes swimming with humor. 

“But will he like us back? What if it changes things between us?” 

“Seungmin really cares about us. In what way, I don’t know. But no matter what, he’s going to keep caring about us and taking care of us, I’m sure of it.”

Jisung could only stare at the vampire. After complete silence for the weeks that they had been together, suddenly hearing him say such powerful and kind things to Jisung was too much. He teared up again looking at Changbin, crying pitifully. 

“I wish I was nicer to you,” he sniffed, “we could have been together for so much longer.”

“Hell, I was the one stuck in my own jealousy, don’t blame yourself,” Changbin tried to reason. He sat back down on the couch and placed one hand on Jisung's thigh, sending a shiver up his spine. 

An extended pause fell over them as Jisung thought about everything. He wanted Changbin, but also wanted Seungmin. Having one without the other left him feeling incomplete. He settled against Changbin, resting his head on his shoulder while one hand kept the bowl of food steady. Changbin felt solid, built out of pure muscle and magic. His skin was cool but Jisung could only feel like he was home when pressed against him. 

“Seungminnie will be home soon,” Changbin whispered, “we can tell him when he gets here.”

Jisung nodded and abandoned his breakfast, too excited to eat. He stayed pressed against Changbin’s side, head resting comfortably on his shoulder. Changbin had wrapped one of his muscular arms around Jisung’s shoulders and pulled him closer, other hand occasionally stroking his hair. It felt like home. If only there was a third person cuddling with them, then Jisung would really feel complete. 

The two talked quietly for the rest of the morning, just getting to know each other. Favorite colors, middle names, hated foods, likes and dislikes, funny childhood stories, and irrational fears. 

“Lewis is kinda a stupid name.”

“As if Peter is any better!”

“What’s going on?”

The boys on the couch look up from their friendly bickering to see Seungmin standing in the doorway while cradling his messenger bag. 

“Seungminnie!” Jisung shouted excitedly, untangling his limbs from Changbin and flying across to room to tackle Seungmin with a hug.

“OOF-” Seungmin huffed when Jisung hit him, “hi Sungie, did you miss me?”

Jisung’s response was a muffled sob into Seungmin’s shoulder. He didn’t realize how much he missed the younger boy until he saw him again. Once again enraptured by his Earthy smell, he didn’t notice Changbin moved until he felt someone pressed against his back, effectively sandwiching him between the two bodies. 

“Welcome back, Seungmin,” Changbin spoke above him. 

“Glad to be home. I brought back a few months worth of ethically sourced blood, so we’ll be good for a while. I take it you two talked things over?”

“Yep. The two of us are lovely friends now, right?” Changbin laughed while nudging Jisung in lightly. Jisung was still very much stuck between the two (not that minded) so all he could do was hum in agreement. 

“See? Best friends!” Changbin giggled, Seungmin joining in. 

“Alright. I got some news for Jisung whenever you decided to let him breathe again, just so you know,” Seungmin eventually said. 

Changbin whined but stepped back. Jisung lifted his head with a dramatic gasp that drew laughter from all three boys. 

“News?” Jisung said hopefully. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but what if he ran into one of Jisung’s friends?

“Yes I do. Do you recognize the name Minho?”

Jisung shook his head. 

“Minho is a witch that I am close friends with. I was talking to him last night, and I learned some interesting information,” Seungmin explained. 

“Such as?”

“Well, he’s dating this cute little shapeshifter boy named Jeongin, and met his roommates, Felix and Chan. Apparently, the three of them are living in a nice apartment in the city.”

Jisung choked. They were okay. Tears welled up in his eyes as his vision swam in front of him. His legs gave out just as four pairs of arms caught him, cradling him against their chests. By that point Jisung was sobbing, shaking with pure joy. After so long of being afraid, his friends were actually alive and well. 

“They’re okay?”

“Yes, baby. Your friends are okay. Minho suggested we all meet up soon, a little family reunion, you know?”

Jisung cried harder, hands gripping onto someone’s shirt. Someone was saying something else but he couldn’t listen anymore, too overwhelmed to pay attention to them.It was all he could do to keep breathing when thinking about his friends, alive and happy in the city. Little Jeongin got a boyfriend too, he really was missing out on their lives. 

“Oh, baby,” he heard a voice saying as someone wiped the tears from his face, “it’s okay now.”

Jisung doesn’t know how long he stayed there on the floor, held by both the men he loved. His breathing calmed down after his minor mental breakdown, and the tears stopped falling soon after. He looked into the worried eyes of both boys and smiled widely, trying to convey the immense amount of happiness in his body. They both grinned back, and Jisung treasured the image of both their smiles. Changbin’s smile looked more like a smirk, but Jisung knew it was sincere. Seungmin always resembled a puppy, but especially when he was happy. 

“Come on, Squirrel Boy, you don’t need to cry,” Seungmin teased, but then his smile dropped slightly. 

“By the way, they have an extra room for you. They didn’t know you were okay either, but they said that you can move in with them again. I know you miss them, so in a few days we can pack some stuff and I’ll take you to the city, okay?” Seungmin smiled softly at him, but Jisung’s heart dropped. 

“D-do I have to?” Jisung stuttered. 

“Of course not, you don’t have to do anything. I just know they are your family, and I figured you would want to be with them again,” Seungmin rubbed the back of his neck. Jisung gaped at Seungmin, hurt slowly filling him again. 

“Do you not want to live with me?” Jisung asked, feeling tears threatening to flow again. 

“No!” Seungmin looked scandalized, “I love having you here and I will be happy no matter if you stay or go! If you would rather stay here with me forever then you can do that. I love having you here!”

“Seunminnie,” Jisung stared him dead in the eyes, trying to express his emotions in his gaze alone, “I am in love with you and I want to stay here with you for as long as you will have me.”

Seungmin just stared at him, mouth slightly open, as if Jisung had just spoken a completely different language. 

“Jisung, I-”

Seungmin cut off again, rendered speechless for the first time since Jisung met him. . 

“I love you too,” Seungmin eventually spoke, before turning to Changbin.

“Binnie, please tell you feel the same,” he begged, 

Changbin smiled softly at Seungmin, “me and Ji already talked about things between us. We want to be together, and we are just waiting for you to say yes.”

“Yes! Yes yes thousand times yes!” Seungmin teared up, causing Jisung to tear up as well. 

Jisung had never been one to enjoy watching other people kiss, usually leaving the room or looking the other direction when Chan and Felix began. But watching Seungmin and Changbin press their lips together just inches away from his own face somehow felt comfortable and right. Even though it went on longer than a little peck, Jisung didn’t mind. Watching them fall in love was better than anything he could have imagined. 

But then they turned to him and it was Seungmin who leaned in to Jisung’s face, a silent question on his face. Jisung whispered a breathless “please” before Seungmin slotted their lips together. Seungmin tasted like mint chocolate and magic, lips soft and sweet. The kiss felt like it lasted forever, but simultaneously was over too quickly. He pressed kisses against Jisung’s lips over and over until Jisung’s mind was spinning. 

Seungmin pulled away, but Jisung didn’t have time to catch his breath before Changbin was there, his kisses energetic and forceful. Changbin was clearly the most experienced kisser between the three of them, but Jisung couldn’t bring himself to care. It didn’t matter who had Changbin in the past, because he belongs to Seungmin and Jisung now. 

When Changbin pulled back as well, all three boys were grinning widely. 

“I miss you,” Jisung giggled at Seungmin, who laughed as well. 

“I feel bad about leaving you,” he agreed. 

“I think I know how you can make it up to us,” Changbin snorts, pursing his lips jokingly. 

“Happily!” Seungmin retorts, going in for another kiss. JIsung watched in awe as they kissed in front of him again. There was no jealousy like he expected, just overflowing affection for both boys and every little thing they did. When they broke apart again, Seungmin’s cheeks were flushed a deep crimson and kept his eyes locked with Changbin, even as he moved further back. 

“Wanna be boyfriends? All three of us?” Seungmin asked, as if the answer wasn’t obvious.

“Yes” Jisung giggled at the same time Changbin snorted “hell yeah”

The three boys dissolved into laughter on the dirty floor of Seungmin’s cabin in the woods, nothing but pure happiness in their bones. And if they exchanged more kisses for the rest of the day and every single day for years to follow, then that’s their own business. 

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah I still don’t really know how to end fics, but here it is. 
> 
> It’s a bit rushed, I wrote most of this in a week. I hope you enjoyed it despite the many spelling and grammar mistakes! 
> 
> Merry Christmas!!


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